20th Anniversary Photo Contest – February Winner
The COPS Office is pleased to feature the February 2015 winner of the Community Policing in Action Photo Contest: the Oakland (California) Police Department. Officer Nolan Chan, who has served in the department for over 15 years, is pictured with a ninety-seven year old woman who had recently been robbed. The photo was taken after Officer Chan and others detained the thief, retrieved the stolen money, and returned it to the woman.
On April 15, 2013, a 97-year-old woman stood, holding a twenty-dollar bill in her hand, in line to purchase a few items at a convenience store in downtown Oakland. As she waited in line, another woman walked through the store asking for money. After a few people turned her down, she walked past the elderly woman, snatched the twenty-dollar bill out of her hand, and ran out of the store. The store manager and others took immediate action by chasing the woman down the street. Members of the Oakland Ambassadors, a group of service individuals committed to helping residents maintain safe and friendly neighborhoods, also assisted in this effort, and with the police station being nearby, once contacted, officers were able to catch and detain the thief. Later that day, Officer Chan returned the twenty dollars to the woman. They sat and chatted in his car, and a fellow officer snapped this month’s winning photo. After the incident, Officer Chan remained in contact with the woman and would often converse with her in the neighborhood when she was out and about. She recently relocated to Southern California to live with her son, but Officer Chan says, “She’s still as sharp as a tack.”
These types of interactions are emblematic of the department’s policing philosophy. The Oakland Police Department aims “to provide the people of Oakland an environment where they can live, work, play, and thrive free from crime and the fear of crime.” In a recent letter to the department, Chief Sean Whent thanked his officers for their dedicated work and commitment to the city of Oakland. He is confident that, as the United States discusses race and policing, Oakland is “on the right track, dedicated to policing that is constitutional and effective and building relationships of mutual trust and respect with our community.”
The COPS Office congratulates the Oakland Police Department for being one of 12 winners of the COPS Office Community Policing in Action Photo Contest and for its commitment to community policing.
Written with contributions from Sylvia McDaniel, Technical Communications Specialist, Oakland Police Department. Photo courtesy of Michele A. Silva, Oakland Police Department.
Najla Haywood
Special Contributor
The COPS Office
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